Aw yeah, this “cheesy” vegan queso recipe is out of this world! Potatoes, nutritional yeast, and all the delicious spices make this one-of-a-kind vegan recipe your new favorite snack.
It’s hard to believe vegan queso even exists; after all, queso it literally 99% cheese. But hey, times are changing and I’m okay with it!
Lots of vegan quesos are made up from cashews but with lots of nut allergies out there, cashews are not always the best substitute.
So what does this vegan queso recipe use instead?
Potatoes.
Yup you read that right. If potatoes can be queso, you can be anything in life, my friend!
Ingredients in vegan queso:
Besides potato, this recipe requires:
- Olive oil (can substitute with another neutral oil)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Nutritional yeast (for that cheesy flavor)
- Almond milk
- Garlic
- Salsa
- Seasonings
With most these ingredients being pantry essentials, this recipe can always be a quick snack option.
How to make vegan queso:
Start by boiling the potatoes. Salting the water is critical in the step as it brings in the flavor. Once potatoes are fulling cooked, add them to a food processor along with the other ingredients. Blend until smooth and voila!
What is nutritional yeast?
Lets talk about nutritional yeast for a sec as it is the primary ingredient in vegan queso. It’s a natural, inactive yeast (so different from the yeast in bread). Nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor and is used in many savory vegan recipes – including this queso!
What to eat with vegan queso:
My favorite way is simply with tortilla chips, but there’s so many ways to enjoy this queso dip:
- Make a great companion for tacos.
- Use it to make nachos! Lather a pile of tortilla chips with queso and top with all the nacho fixings.
- Top it over a bowl of rice and beans and add some veggies for an easy and healthy meal.
- Have it in a taco salad!
Troubleshooting tips:
If your vegan queso doesn’t look like the pictures, don’t fret! This recipe is very forgiving meaning minor tweaks can improve your queso.
Queso is too thin? Try adding a little bit of nutritional yeast or 1 teaspoon of corn starch.
Queso is too thick? Add a little bit of olive oil or almond milk to thin out.
How long does vegan queso last?
About 5-7 days in the fridge. Just warm it up in the microwave when you want to eat it!
If you tried this vegan queso recipe, let me know in the comments below and share a photo using #mindfulavocado. I’d love to hear from you! Want to see more recipes? Let’s get social! CONNECT WITH ME on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest to see what I’m currently cooking up!
If you like this vegan dip, you’ll LOVE:
How to Make the Best Hummus
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
The Best Vegan Queso {Cashew-Free!}
Ingredients
- 1 medium russet potato cubed (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 Tablespoons salsa
- 1/3 cup almond milk or any other plant-based milk (oat, soy, cashew are good options)
- 2-3 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
Tools:
Instructions
- Add potatoes to a pot and fill with water until potatoes are covered. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt and bring to boil.
- Reduce heat and let simmer until potatoes are cooked through. To check for doneness, a fork should pierce through a potato with ease.
- Strain potatoes and add to the food processor. Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, salsa, almond milk, garlic cloves, cumin, chili powder, and paprika to the blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings (I add about 1 teaspoon of salt!)
- Serve warm with tortilla chips. Leftovers keep for about 5-7 days in the fridge.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Right?! So delicious!
That’s interesting… I’ve never seen nutritional yeast or tried it, sounds like a fun seasoning although I feel it needs a name change 😉
HA! It’s good, promise!
love how easy to follow these instructions are!
Thanks, Patty!
What a great idea to use potatoes instead of nuts, beside the allergies they are also much more reasonably priced.
Agreed!
Using potatoes and nutritional yeast to make queso is so creative! I would love to try this recipe!
I hope you do! 🙂
Ok… so I’m not vegan, but I have to try this recipe! Sounds awesome! I just have to find nutritional yeast… Thanks for sharing
It’s fairly easy to find now! Trader Joe’s sells it and a lot of grocery stores sell it in either the health food aisles or the bulk section.
Oh my goodness ! I just made it and its so great! thanks for posting this delicious recipe
I’m glad you loved it as much as I do!! 🙂
Hello! Recipe is awesome, but it’s marketed as nut-free while saying to use almond milk in the recipe??
Thanks so much for pointing that out! Just updated the recipe to use oat milk instead 🙂
Do you think I could make a ton and can it for you easy use? I have been vegan for 1 month and have already made it many times. This way would be easier
I’m not sure what the question is! Can you please rephrase it?
Can I use white potatoes instead of russet?
yes that should work!
SO great. If someone told you it was cheese, you would believe it no problem! Yummy. I didn’t use the cumin, and added the salsa after blending so it stayed chunky,
Thanks so much, Diane! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe. Love the idea of keeping the salsa chunky.
This was pretty good other than it was so salty I could not eat it. Did you really mean 1 tablespoon or was that a typo?
The salt does not go directly in the queso. It goes in the water when you are cooking the potatoes. Most of that salt is then discarded. You do this to season the potatoes when cooking (similar to cooking pasta). I hope this helps!